A MEMBER of Just Stop Oil in Cumbria has responded to Workington MP Mark Jenkinson after he blasted the group following a protest at his office last week.

Around 10 members of the environmentalist group, who were protesting the plans for the coal mine in Whitehaven, travelled to the MP's Maryport office on Friday March 15, unaware that he was in Westminster at the time.

Jenkinson accused the group of 'rank hypocrisy' after they arrived by car, but Just Stop Oil argued that they were left with little other option due to the current lack of public transport options into Maryport.

Train users were warned earlier this month that services between Workington and Carlisle could be affected for at least six weeks, as urgent repair work takes place on the railway viaduct over the River Derwent in Workington.

Network Rail named climate change as a specific factor behind the damage to the viaduct.

A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said: "Mark Jenkinson accused us of trying to 'force access to his Maryport office' and 'harass his staff' but the reality is we just rang the doorbell to have a discussion. 

"He calls us 'lunatics' and that we're from 'Cloud Cuckoo Land' but really he's in the land of make believe when he denies that burning fossil fuels will affect the climate, and that it will affect people all over the world - including here in Cumbria." 

Following the protest, Mr Jenkinson had said: "It is the case that I am in favour of the Cumbrian coal mine, to support UK steelmaking and reduce the UK's carbon footprint, mitigating the need to import coking coal from overseas and curbing our reliance on hostile foreign states."

However, it's also been suggested that technology such as electric arc furnaces will 'lead to the successful decarbonisation of UK steel production by 2035', indicating that coal will no longer be needed for steel production.